But what kinds of sightings are they? The files are all PDF documents and the reports are in varying detail. So, we've extracted 50 of the key ones for you take a look at, plus a link to where they can be found in the original documents. Take a read and let us know what you think.

Top British UFO sightings

1980 to 1996

Place

County/region

Date

Details

Link to Nat Archives PDF

Page

RAF Woodbridge, Rendlesham Forest

Suffolk

-27-Dec-80

USAF security police witness unusal lights on the ase perimeter, reporting a “strange glowing object” in the forest – plus a metallic shape. It involves several sightings of lights in the forest, outside the perimeter fence of RAF Woodbridge, Suffolk, by United States Air Force personnel in December 1980. They claimed a UFO had landed in the forest, leaving traces including markings on the ground and radiation. The events were detailed in a famous memo to the MoD by Lt Col Charles Halt (USAF deputy base commander), who was present during one of the sightings. The MoD explanation was that the lights were a meteor shower and local lighthouse

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1948.pdf

6

Wavre

Belgium

-31-Mar-90

UFOs detected by NATO radars and F-16 fighters over Belgium in 1990. The account, from General Wilfried de Brouwer, Chief of Operations, Belgian Air Staff confirms that F-16 pilots obtained “lock-ons” with their radars but were unable to explain the phenomena.

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1960.pdf

330

Gatwick airport

Sussex

-15-Jul-91

Near miss for a Boeing 737 pilot with a black lozenge shaped object passing within 100 yards. Solar balloon was blamed

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1963.pdf

198

Rotherham

South Yorkshire

-12-Jan-93

Two young men claimed they saw “8 apache helicopters, flanking a very strange object - flat with a dome, very big tail fine with strobe light on top”; another object was flying overhead at very high speed with flashing lights. Witnesses claimed they went up to helicopters and spoke to pilots.

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1959.pdf

368

RAF Cosford, Wolverhampton

West Midlands

-31-Mar-93

Sightings of bright lights seen across central England in the early hours by police officers and military witnesses (including a police patrol at RAF Cosford, near Wolverhampton). The file includes more than 30 sightings during a six-hour period. The MoD’s UFO desk asked the RAF to replay radar tapes but this found nothing unusual had been detected. However, the Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (ACAS), Sir Anthony Bagnall, was briefed that there was evidence a UFO had evaded UK defences. It emerged that the majority of sightings were caused by the Russian rocket that launched the Cosmos 2238 satellite, re-entering the earth’s atmosphere

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-2086.pdf

Whole file

Looe Mills, Liskeard

Cornwall

-31-Mar-93

Police sergeant reports two “silvery white” stars hovering and then moving off in parallel.

Dozens of sightings of a brightly illuminated oval object reported over London. Caused by a Virgin airship advertising the launch of the Ford Mondeo. Some accounts include sketches and several people refused to believe the UFO was the airship

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1963.pdf

Whole file

London

London

-3-Jul-93

“Saucer-shaped, domed top, brilliant white light with flashing light top and bottom” - RAF suggested it could have been an airship, but witness didn’t agree.

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1959.pdf

282

Dundee

Scotland

-24-Jul-93

Man and wife saw a ball of light hovering over the River Tay from their home in Dundee. Split into four lights and departed in a straight line.

Report from a camper on Jersey who heard a "glamping, bubbling, squelshing sound" outside her tent in August 1993 followed by a bright light shining on the roof. She reported the incident to Jersey airport.

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1964.pdf

138

Kettering

Northamptonshire

-24-Aug-93

Flying saucer shaped object with flashing lights. Very large.

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1959.pdf

220

Kettering

Northamptonshire

-26-Aug-93

Sighting of a low-flying “brilliant object” by two dog walkers

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1964.pdf

240

St Austell

Cornwall

-29-Oct-93

Midshipman in Royal Navy reported a UFO to police: 30ft long, 15 ft high with bright lights: “witness telepathically heard voices saying: ‘hello do not be alarmed, we will not harm you.”

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1959.pdf

114

RAF Lyneham

Wiltshire

-6-Dec-93

Bright white light, split into three, no noise, seen from guardroom.

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1959.pdf

54

Louth

Lincolnshire

-9-Dec-93

Three lights in shape of a triangle, no noise. People stopped cars for better view. UFO hovered over coast, turned on axis, shot off at 500 mph towards northwest and up.

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1959.pdf

23

Blairingone

Scotland

-3-Mar-94

Very large light on a black triangular UFO seen from A977 by man and wife

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1960.pdf

447

Moscow/Tokyo flight

Arctic

-17-Mar-94

Report from air crew at 33,000ft, 200 miles east of Moscow. Reported seeing a huge object making "controlled re-entry with horseshoe-shaped shockwave". It was reported to have come in over the North Pole at an estimated speed of 10-15,000mph. They initially believed it must have been a Space Shuttle, but subsequently found it was already down

UFO encounter at Glastonbury festival. Two women reported seeing moving coloured lights were swooping down on them in the jazz field while "cold sober"

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1960.pdf

295

Heathrow Airport

Berkshire

-5-Aug-94

Small black object described as 3-4feet long, looking like a toy rocket crossing left-to-right in front of aircraft

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1960.pdf

294

Southampton

-14-Aug-94

UFOs photographed over Southampton city centre

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1960.pdf

265

Portsmouth

Hampshire

-2-Oct-94

Caller reported pieces of metal falling from a triangular object. Switchboard told him not to worry himself and to throw away the pieces, and reassured him there was no threat to national security.

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1960.pdf

186

Lanarkshire

Scotland

-25-Oct-94

Ghost aircraft seen by driver on M6 in Lanarkshire. Small dark object carrying four lights flew into the trees and vanished.

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1960.pdf

162

RAF Leuchars

Scotland

-3-Nov-94

Five separate UFO reports made to RAF Leuchars in the space of four days.

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1960.pdf

149

Reading

Berkshire

-7-Nov-94

A circle of light followed a couple in a car. The woman driver worried that she and her boyfriend could have been exposed to radiation.

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1960.pdf

137

Norwich prison

Norwich

-15-Nov-94

Prison officer sees row of bright lights over city centre

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1960.pdf

101

Clacton on Sea

Essex

-28-Nov-94

Police sighting of large triangular object with bright pulsing lights

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1960.pdf

85

Penicuirk, Edinburgh

Scotland

-7-Dec-94

Report of a large bright light in the sky with four smaller red "crafts" flying into the centre of the light. Sketch attached.

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1961.pdf

343

A47, Lady Bower Dam

Derbyshire

-8-Dec-94

Large orange light moving horizontally then dropped behind hills with a cloud of smoke. Police informed

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1960.pdf

46

Manchester

North West

A “lit object” passes close to an aircraft approaching Manchester

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1960.pdf

381

Oldswinford

West Midlands

-30-Jan-95

Report of loud bangs and booms during the night. The individual reporting the incident found a piece of metal on his patio which he was worried may be radioactive.

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1961.pdf

332

Turnhouse airfield, Edinburgh

Scotland

-4-Feb-95

Man reported seven objects around an aircraft as it took off from Turnhouse airfield.

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1961.pdf

312

Boscombe Down

Wiltshire

-7-Feb-95

Report of UFO surrounded by flashing lights landing in a field.

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1961.pdf

312

M62 motorway

Leeds-Manchester

-7-Apr-95

Several sightings reported by motorists travelling on the M62 over a few weeks

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1961.pdf

216

Halifax

West Yorkshire

-15-Jul-95

People at a family barbecue reported seeing a UFO shaped like the planet Saturn with red portholes and blue lights. The object disappeared towards Sowerby Bridge making jerky movements. Drawing attached.

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1961.pdf

88

Newmarket

Suffolk

-24-Oct-95

Report of a UFO glowing white light seen by a man whilst putting his car away. The man called NASA, who confirmed a space shuttle was in orbit, but he became convinced he had seen a UFO.

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1974.pdf

104

Hatfield Peverel

Essex

-15-Nov-95

'Enormous' flat oval shaped object was reported by a person in a field in Hatfield Peverel.

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1974.pdf

62

RAF Waddington

Lincolnshire

-5-Jan-96

Member of the public called RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire, to report white light seen from Newark with night-vision goggles. Later air traffic radar saw contacts on radar which they decided were caused by atmospheric conditions - nothing of defence concern.

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1975.pdf

237

Pentland Hills, Edinburgh

Scotland

-7-Feb-96

UFO shaped "like old-fashioned jelly mould"

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1975.pdf

227

Brecon

Wales

-7-Mar-96

Newspaper cutting and MoD report describing experience of family who saw a “a circle of bright red lights” moving over their car on a country road. They appeared to be attached to a large object with 10-20 steady lights shaped like a clock-face. The family were very frightened.

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1975.pdf

174

Alton Barnes

Wiltshire

-27-Apr-96

Caller to RAF reported seeing a strange light through binoculars that lit up clouds. He signalled at the light with his torch and the UFO signalled back by flashing on and off. “He was reluctant to give his name and address and assumed the call had been intercepted”.

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1975.pdf

83

Tintagel

Cornwall

-15-May-96

RAF police called by civilian who reported “suspicious object believed to be UFO” hovering above his house.Triangular shaped and enormous in size with many bright lights.

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1975.pdf

25

Tenbury Wells

Worcestershire

-29-May-96

UFO with flashing light hovered above a woman’s car, causing her to lose control of the car.

Man and his wife saw intense gold coloured sphere hovering 5-700 ft from ground at close range. “Came across as a very sensible and sober character.”

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1976.pdf

200

Manchester

North West

-7-Jul-96

RAF received call from a man in Manchester who said he had seen an RAF Hercules chasing a large triangular UFO as low as 70ft from the ground, and took photographs.

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1975.pdf

172

Widnes

Cheshire

-15-Jul-96

Young man returning home at 2am saw a bright yellow object hovering and broke into a run. Light hovered over cemetery and high pitched sound like a cat wailing was heard as beams of light came down, striking the ground. On returning to cemetery with his father, they found four railway sleepers smouldering, with a large hole burnt through one of the sleepers.

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1976.pdf

180

Inverness

Scotland

-30-Jul-96

UFO reported by three police officers, large inverted triangle shape. Checks made on radar.

http://filestore.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pdfs/ufos/defe-24-1976.pdf

113

Uxbridge

Middlesex

-31-Jul-96

Car driver reported big bright light and humming noise - “beam came down and man came out and walked down Uxbridge high street….looked as if it tried to land, let the man out and flew off". Seen by four friends and the milkman.